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XVSK is the dynamic duo of Trevor Exter and John Morgan Kimock, and they turn the whole au courant notion of the noisy garage rock duo completely on its head. Lots of bands use the stripped-down format to excuse sloppy, thin songs; Exter and Kimock manage to pump out fully realized blues-rock tunes that could shame a band twice their size. They achieve it in part by being very good at what they do, and their pedigree has probably contributed to their current skill level. Kimock is the son of the legendary guitarist Steve Kimock, and the family’s musical gift has passed to John in the form of some vicious drum skills. Exter is a celebrated vocalist and cellist who has played with many great artists and released his own solo records, and the use of his plugged-in cello is a big part of what gives the duo a bigger sound. This Backyard Brunch Sessions performance could just as easily have been a studio session given how dialed-in the duo was. Although they haven’t been playing together long, the two musicians clearly have a compatible vision and style. According to the bio on his website, Exter had some rough travels on the way to the musical moment he is now in, and perhaps what makes his blues-inflected vocals so convincing, perhaps no more so than on the kickoff track to the afternoon, “Hits”, which has been stuck in my head since the show.

I recorded this set with AKG microphones on John’s drums, a direct output from Trevor’s vocal mic, and a Schoeps microphone on Trevor’s cello amps. The results are outstanding. Enjoy!

Stream “Back In My Arms”:

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This Recording is now available to Download in FLAC and MP3 and to Stream at Archive.org [HERE].

XVSK
2011-07-23
Backyard Brunch Sessions
Brooklyn, NY

An acidjack master recording
Recorded and produced by acidjack for nyctaper.com

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